Feb 04, 2015

I have amassed quite the backlog of podcasts that I would like to listen to, so many that it almost stresses me out. It definitely stresses me out. All these pleasing voices, stories and useful/useless information are patiently waiting to be heard and enjoyed while I do other stuff instead. I got my shit together last week and tuned in to This American Life’s episode on internet hate, IfYouDon’tHaveAnythingNicetoSay, SAYITINALLCAPS. There was no way I could put this one off until later, all of the humans on all of my social medias were going crazy over Lindy West’s segment. I love Lindy West.

Author, editor and performer, Lindy talks a lot about bodies, feminism and pop culture in a way that is both hilarious and kick-ass. She is a strong, smart, happy, outspoken woman and therefore a target for internet trolls dishing out abuse on a daily basis, receiving probably the most asshole-y garbage that I’ve seen out there. That hate is what Lindy talks about on This American Life, where she confronts a reformed troll who created an online identity based on her recently deceased father and proceeded to harass her from various social media accounts. She’s getting a lot of well-deserved attention for this piece but if you want more of Lindy West’s work (and frankly, if you’re reading this blog you really do) follow her on Twitter and check out her site.